Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin - Boston, Massachusetts. 10.5% ABV

Pours a very dark brown with a tan head and smells of caramelized sugar with a background of pumpkin pie. Tastes of molasses with a touch of pumpkin and finishes very roasty and sweet as a pumpkin pie and cup of coffee would. This was a pretty full bodied beer which is expected (given the 10.5% abv) with low carbonation.

Overall a very pleasant beer. I wasn't blown away but thoroughly enjoyed this. If you like roasty sweetness I would give this a go especially if you are looking for a fall dessert beer. 

90/100

Congress Street IPA (7.2% abv)  Trillium Brewing (Boston, MA)

Wow! Just...WOW!! When I tried this at the Trillium taproom on Tuesday (the day after they kegged and bottled it) I knew I had to buy a few bottles to go. This IPA just made it into my top 5 I've ever sampled. Maybe it's because I was so surprised that a brewery known more for their farmhouse styles had such a great IPA but IMHO I think it's just a damn good beer.

It pours a hazy yellowish-orange and has a huge bouquet of fresh peaches and nectarines (from the Galaxy hops I was told). It tastes of peaches with a touch of bitterness but had a softness and a sweetness on the end that I've only experienced from beers like Sip of Sunshine (by Lawson's Finest Liquids) and Julius (by Tree House Brewing). The well balanced medium body I was told is accomplished by adding a bit of wheat to the mash (likely causing the hazy appearance as well).

To sum this beer up in two words I would say "Buy It!" and buy it now while it's fresh (if you live in Boston). If you like IPAs and you don't like this beer than we can't be friends.

99/100

The end of summer is always a bummer, no matter if you're a kid going back to school or a grown-up going back to work. Lone exception being a college kid going back to campus. I was fortunate enough to have my summer go out with a bang. I spent 5 amazing days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My family rented a great house right on the beach in Southern Shores, between the towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk. Turns out the OBX is a great place for a beer enthusiast to vacation!

When we arrived one of the first things that caught my eye was the Brew Thru (http://brewthru.com/). Yep, it's a drive through beer shop. It's as awesome as it sounds, and they actually have a really good craft beer list. They've got bottles, cans and kegs to cover all your beach party needs. Even the supermarkets, Food Lion and Harris Teeter, had pretty solid craft selections. I picked up a 12 case of New Belgium Fat Tire cans to drink pool and beachside.

Another awesome discovery was a place called OBX Trio Wine Beer and Cheese (http://obxtrio.com/). OBX Trio is both a retail beer, wine and cheese shop and a bar/restaurant. Over on the retail side you've got a strong selection of beers from all over the world, including some local North Carolina breweries, as well as wines and cheeses. They had a great Southern Tier Pumking display, so yes, they apparently enjoy fall brews in the south as well. At the bar they had a very good draft list to pair with the great cheese, charcuterie and panini selections. I opted for a Founders Imperial Stout as my base beer to go along with a taster of four 4oz selections. For that I went with Allagash Confluence, a Belgian golden strong that paired beautifully with creamy brie and goat cheeses, Duck-Rabbit Brown Ale, a local brew I enjoyed with the blue cheese, Stone IPA, a terrific IPA from a terrific brewery which paired well with the cheddar, and Tucher Helles Hefeweizen, which also went great with the richer, creamier cheeses. Besides the beer and cheese, Trio also had an awesome wine system where you get a card with a chip in it that's linked to your credit card that you put into machines that pour out either 1oz, 2oz or 5oz pours of various wines. There were 12 bottles in each machine and 4 machines. It was so cool I went with a glass of South African red to go with my prosciutto and brie panini. Overall, very impressed with OBX Trio. I'd love to see a place like this open in NYC.

Coming back home and back to work after Labor Day was definitely a bummer, but things perked up on Friday when I got an email from beermenus.com letting me know Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor (http://www.artsandcraftsbarnyc.com/), a relatively new spot in the Village, had Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout bottles available. I hustled down there after work to make sure I scored some of my favorite beer out there. When I got there and ordered my first bottle of the BCCS I found out Arts and Crafts was one of the lucky NYC spots to host Goose Island's migration week events. I ended up having 2 bottles there and buying a third to take home to age. A very chill spot with 24 regularly rotating draft lines, I will definitely be back to Arts and Crafts soon. According to their beermenus.com page they still have bottles of the BCCS!

Next week I'm going to be attending a serious tap takeover by The Bruery at the Gingerman in NYC. I've heard amazing things about many of The Bruery's beers, the tap list for this event is monumental. Needless to say I am very much looking forward to it!

Hopulence (Unfiltered American Double IPA) Wormtown Brewing Co. - Worcester, MA. 8.5% ABV.

Pours a very murky copper-orange. It is hazy enough that I could not see my fingers on the other side of the glass. I poured hard to get a lasting three finger head to get all of the aroma. To me, mango and pine are the predominant aromas with a healthy dose of citrus, and subtle malt aroma reminiscent of a Belgian ale (Palm comes to mind). Taste is much like the smell: mango, pine, grass, and a touch of plum (from malt I assume). A nice drying on the end urging you to take another sip (I drank this much too quickly). This beer had medium carbonation with medium/ heavy body. You certainly know this is bigger than an standard IPA but certainly not boozy or overwhelming.

Overall a very well balanced DIPA. You definitely notice the hoppiness and body to this one but that didn't stop me from drinking it quite quickly. Would certainly buy again and wish they would make 6 or 4 packs of 12oz to share/ drink regularly (not a huge fan of 22oz bombers). Top 5 DIPAs I've had for sure.

94/100

Note from Scott Holbrook:

I would like to welcome Kevin Scott to the A Beer a Day team. Kevin is a college buddy and craft beer lover who recently returned to the Boston area. I am excited to have him join our team.

Written By: Kevin Scott

Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 12  Old  Ale Matured in Whiskey Casks. Alva, Scotland, United Kingdom. 8% ABV.

It pours a deep black and very oily out of the bottle with tan/brown thin head that quickly turns into a thin ring of lace around the glass.

It smells boozy yet sweet upfront with a distinct smokey scotch character immediately following. The taste is smokey and roasted on the forefront in a very good way (I generally do not like smoked beers such as rauchbiers). The aftertaste is a sweet mellowness from the scotch barrels and just a touch of warming from the 8% alcohol. The beer is a bit more thick and viscous than the 8% abv would have you believe with very low carbonation. I was very impressed with this beer and love the added complexity from the scotch barrels where the majority of barrel aged beers go for the sweeter bourbon barrels. I would consider this the best after dinner beer I've had in a long while and I will absolutely be going back to grab a few more of these from Boston Wine Exchange and hopefully aging a few to see how they mature.

Update: I just noticed the bottle is stamped with a bottling date of August 2010 making this beer just over 4 years old so I can testify that it ages quite well.

96/100